Doomscrolling: These Pitfalls of Social Media Are Scarier Than You Thought

Mental HealthOctober 23, 2020

What does your morning usually look like? If you scroll through Facebook and Instagram for an hour or more after waking up, without even noticing it, you’re not alone.

The thing is, we often feel the need to connect with our peers because it is somehow the only way to interact with others virtually. However, social media can become a parasite that feeds off our lives – and this can wreak havoc on our overall wellbeing.

Kate Torline/Unsplash — Mindless scrolling can eat a lot of your time

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram among many others, lure people into the online world by promising them reward and validation. How? Whenever you post and receive tons of positive comments or likes, it gratifies you.

‘Doomscrolling’

There’s a sudden flash of dopamine for the reactions. You feel happy whenever your voice is heard and people agree. You are delighted when your work is praised – however, this could become problematic.

More and more people are becoming aware of how social media affects their lives. And in order to fix this problem, you must acknowledge that you are falling into the trap of ‘doomscrolling’.

You’ll soon realize that even with the informative pieces you read, the giggle you let out because of memes, and the effective time-killing process, what you’re giving social media doesn’t equate to what you are getting from it.

Consciously or unconsciously, social media takes up a lot of time in your day that you could otherwise spend experiencing precious moments . Social media, particularly Instagram, is a very powerful platform where users can express themselves through photos and short clips.

Martin Pechy/Unsplash — What you see on Instagram can make the FOMO phenomenon real

However, it can also be a toxic environment that can make you experience FOMO, or the fear of missing out, when you see other creators seemingly living their best lives on the internet. Although not always, Instagram is also the breeding ground of insecurities among women about their appearance.

Delete App from Gadgets

While immediately stopping the habit is not a walk in the park, there are ways that are easier and more feasible. If you can’t delete your accounts, you can always delete the app from your phone or tablet.

These gadgets are the most accessible to you, so you’re more likely to reach out for them the first thing in the moring. So opting out of social media from your phone may be a good start and you can basically still receive notifications on your computer.

Rob Hampson/Unsplash — Phone and tablets are easier to access

You’ll realize that the instant gratification will only last for a while. Soon, everybody, including you, will forget what you have posted. Once you start addressing the issue slowly, you will realize that turning off social media from your phone is actually a good thing.